Moral

& Philosophical Criticism

Paul Elmer More: It is the critics duty, to determine the
moral tendency of literary works and to judge them on that
basis. The greatest critics are discriminators between the
false and the true, the deformed and the normal; preachers of
harmony and proportion and order, prophets of the religion
of taste.






______________________________________________________________________________________

Overview

Critics taking a moral or philosophical approach usually describe or evaluate a work
in terms of the ideas and values it contains. This often means examining a works
ideas and valuesboth those expressed directly by the narrator or character and
those implied by the overall design and contentin relation to a particular ethical,
philosophical, or religious system (rationalism, existentialism, Christianity, etc.).

Some critics will also evaluate the quality of a works ideas and values by
determining how well these fit certain criteria (such as truth, usefulness, clarity,
consistency, or complexity). Besides looking at ideas, critics may also examine the
moral effect or value of a work in a more general way, considering how the images,
events, characters, and even style in a work affect its readers as moral beings.

In practice, essays taking a moral or philosophical approach are most successful

when they are firmly grounded in the details of the work being discussed. Such
essays often attempt to identify a works theme or themes or even what is
sometimes called the writers vision or view of life and then to show how the
vision or themes are conveyed through specific details or techniques in the work.

Those willing to do research (and thus use the historical-biographical approach in
connection with the moral-philosophical) may also attempt to show how the
vision or other thinkers (who may or may not have influenced the writer) or found
in the general cultural context to which the writer belonged.
______________________________________________________________________________________

Background

Literature is, and always has been, an important source of moral guidance and
spiritual inspiration.

Some modern critical theories may make us resist the idea that literature has a
didactic purpose yet cannot deny many of the greatest writers have considered
themselves teachers as well as artists.

Plato acknowledged literatures power as a teacher by believing it capable of
corrupting morals and undermining religion.

Aristotle considered literature capable of fostering virtue.

Horace said literature should be delightful and instructive.




Samuel Johnson said that the function of literature is to teach morality, and to
probe philosophical issues.

Matthew Arnold: poetrys most important offering is its moral/philosophical
teaching; its a source of moral and spiritual inspiration, possibly capable of
replacing philosophy and religion.
______________________________________________________________________________________

Values

Beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment
(either for or against something).

A collection of guiding, usually positive principles; what one deems to be correct
and desirable in life, especially regarding personal conduct.

Values undergird all literature, either by their presence or absence.
They are often unstated, yet operative nonetheless.
Values determine thoughts, beliefs and opinionsand behaviors, actions and
practices.
To identify the value(s) underlying literature is to understand the writers purpose
and objectives, position/stanceand agenda.
Sometimes these values conflict with our own, but this can be apparent only when
ours are clearly defined.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Common Values

adventure

ambition

autonomy

collective responsibility
comfort


competition

cooperation

courage


creativity

equality of condition
equality of opportunity
excellence

flexibility

freedom of speech
generosity

harmony

honesty


justice

novelty
order
patriotism
peace
rationality
security
spontaneity
tolerance
tradition

______________________________________________________________________________________

Major Tenets

Investigates the effects literature has on readers as moral beings
Based on what improves and enriches human lives
Concerned with human character and behavior
Looks at texts as combinations of various moral qualities
Questions how literature is influenced by plot, character, ideas and style
Views the work through a particular philosophy or discerns a work in the
philosophy on which it is based
Looks at how the work influenced or was influenced by the ideas of the time
Views the ideas in a work in relation to ideas found elsewhere

Helpful Definitions (adapted from: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/english2/handouts/)

Individual moralitybasis of decisions/judgments made by individual (honesty,
loyalty, responsibility, etc.)

Social moralityfairness is basis of the law; law exists to govern society and control
individual behavior; law considers whether an action threatens societys well-being
__________

RELATIVISM VS. ABSOLUTISM

Individual relativismright/wrong depends on social/moral commitments of
individual.

Situational relativismright/wrong varies depending on particular situation

Cultural relativismmoral norms vary by culture/society

Moral absolutismabsolute standards exist by which all rules, commitments, and
behavior can be evaluated/judged
__________

MORAL PRINCIPLES APPLYING TO INDIVIDUALS

Principle of Greatest Happinessour happiness (and the happiness of those
affected by our choices) must guide our choices and actions. Society creates and
follows rules for maximizing the happiness of the greatest number of its citizens.

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2qRDMHbXaM

The Golden Ruledo unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew
7:12)

Respect for OthersOthers wishes/desires trump our own (i.e., how the other
person feels about being lied to is more important than how the potential liar feels
about lying). Kant: It is immoral to use other people solely and merely to achieve
your own ends. We must recognize others as autonomous.

The Human Goodemphasizes, not obligations, but personal character traits and
activities which result in a good life

Natural Purposeeverything in nature has a purpose. The natural purpose of
human beings is defined in various ways (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, etc.)

Social Purposeevery person comprising a society has (or should have) a purpose,
or fulfill a contributory role

The Will of GodGod, as the creator of human beings, is the ultimate source of
morality

Stanislav Duben/Solent News

MORAL PRINCIPLES APPLYING TO OR APPLIED BY SOCIETY

Individual RightsU.S. citizens are guaranteed inalienable rights by the Bill of
Rights (e.g., freedom of speech, of religion, of assembly, of press, etc.)

The General Welfaregovernment, and every level comprising it, should promote
the general welfare (safety/security, liberty, property, health, etc.)

Principle of Freedomallows individuals to pursue their own ends in their own
ways, with little or no governmental restrictions.

Advantages

Mother of all literary criticism
Literary theory itself is a branch of philosophy

Moral approach has the longest history of any theory
More freedom for the reader because there is no simple formula to follow
Focuses on morals and ethics; tells readers what is good for them as the great
instrument of moral good

Disadvantages

Critics differ on the definition of what is good and what is badno consensus
Not objectivefocuses on feelings, impressions
Moral approach has become less popular and influential during the last few
decades. It could be due to:

Critical excess (number and intensity of other critical theories)
The deficiencies of the approach itself
The moral laxness of critics

However, there are other critics/critical fields which promote a moral fervor in their
writings, namely feminist criticism (see below).

What to think about as you read and write morally and philosophically:

Identify theme and look at evidence for that theme
Analyze characters and relationships (morality/immorality of relationships)
Plot structure and the moral implications of the events
Tone and symbol

Template for symbols:

http://brugger.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/1/4/2014824/ideal_unideal.pdf

______________________________________________________________________________________

Major Players/Works

Irving Babbitt

Most influential and controversial moral critic of the 20th century

Genius and Taste (1918)

Held that literature must help us recognize:
The reality of evil
The necessity of controlling our impulses

Literature that does not abide by such standards leads to:
Self-indulgence
Moral degeneration

Rousseau and Romanticism (1919)

Critical of romanticism
Condemns romantic morality
Romantic poets have contributed to a moral decline in society

Edmund Fuller

Man in Modern Fiction: Some Minority Opinions of Contemporary American Writing
(1958)

Critic is to appraise the validity and the implications of the image of man projected
by the artists use of his materials.

Fuller sees standards and restraints as essential for moral action. Condemns much
of modern fiction for rejecting these guides in the name of compassion.

Compassion must be based on a large and generous view of life and a distinct set of
values. The compassion found in many modern novels is a teary slobbering over
the criminal and degraded, the refusal to assign any share of responsibility to them,
and a vindictive lashing out against the rest of the world (35-37)

Various religious conservatives, especially American Christian groups, have claimed that the
books promote witchcraft and are therefore unsuitable for children

Tobin Siebers

The Ethics of Criticism (1988)

Literary criticism is inextricably linked to ethics
Literary criticism accepts the task of examining to what extent literature and life
contribute to the nature and knowledge of each other

Attempts to extract literature from an ethical context are misguided and

ultimately unsuccessful.

Faults New Criticism

Christopher Clausen

The Moral Imagination: Essays on Literature and Ethics (1986)

Literary works usually embody moral problems and reflect moral attitudes,
sometimes even moral theories. There is no good reason for criticism to tiptoe
around one of the major reasons that literary works endure.

Lawrence Lipking

Aristotles Sister: A Poetics of Abandonment (1983)

In addition to winning critical attention for many neglected works by women
writers, feminist criticism has sparked a reevaluation of many works traditionally
granted high, secure places in the canon.

Something peculiar has been happening lately to the classics; some of them now
seen less heroic, and some of them less funny. Those irrelevant scenes of cruelty to
women . . . have changed their character.

Religious Criticism

Stanley Hopper

Spiritual Problems in Contemporary Literature (1952)

Much modern literature is fundamentally religious
Quest of the Prodigal is central theme in poetry of Auden and Eliot
Analysis of such poetry would be incomplete without taking religious themes into
account
Studying such poetry can help the reader understand vital religious issues

Helen Gardner, Religion and Literature (1971)

Examined religious elements in secular works
Hamlet is a Christian tragedy in the sense that it is a tragedy of the imperatives
and torments of the conscience due to Hamlets discovery of all the evil and
corruption in the world
We must recognize Hamlets attitude as fundamentally Christian